If Donald Trump had any interest in combating his image as a white nationalist supporter of the types of neo-Nazi alt-right deplorables who marched in Charlottesville— the people with whom he doubled down in an embarrassing defense after being called out by Joe Biden in his campaign launch — he would not send tweets like the one he sent early this morning.
Congratulations to Nick Bosa on being picked number two in the NFL Draft. You will be a great player for years to come, maybe one of the best. Big Talent! San Francisco will embrace you but most importantly, always stay true to yourself. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 27, 2019
What seems at first glance to be a fairly innocuous congratulatory message is, in fact, when examined in context, the perfect example of Trump’s inherent racism.
Firstly, one must ask the question as to why the president is congratulating the number two draft pick rather than the first person picked in the highly anticipated NFL draft.
Could it be because the first choice — Heisman Trophy winner Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray — is African American and Trump’s fave Nick Bosa is a white Trump supporter with a penchant for following white nationalist Twitter accounts?
While Bosa’s political views earned him a nod from the president, even the hometown newspaper of the NFL team that picked him, the San Francisco Forty-Niners, felt that the choice of the defensive end was risky outside of Bosa’s undeniable talent for the sport.
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The San Francisco Chronicle cited Bosa’s baggage on social media as a reason for the potential hostility from football fans in the notoriously progressive city.
“Bosa recently deleted tweets in which he called Colin Kaepernick a “clown,” referred to Beyonce’s music as “complete trash” and called “Black Panther” the worst Marvel movie. On Thursday, the website Blacksportsonline posted threads showing Bosa following and liking accounts that feature white nationalist posts. The twitter feed @rzstprogramming showed Bosa retweeted a tweet referring to “crappernick,” the paper reported.
Now that sounds like a man who could easily pluck the heartstrings of President Trump.
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The Twitter response to Trump’s blatant disregard for the black first place draft pick in favor of his political soulmate demonstrated that the implications of the president’s decision on whom to single out for praise were not missed.
You congratulate the (white) #2 pick #NickBosa but not the (black) #1 pick @TheKylerMurray? WTF? #Trump
— Andy Ostroy (@AndyOstroy) April 27, 2019
Oh, of course he gets a congrats, he’s white
— Roy (@guiltymuse) April 27, 2019
Remember Nick Bosa was the fool that called Kapernick “clown” for taking a stand…makes sense why clown-in-chief congratulates him. He saw one of his own getting a new position.
— Elinor (@Elinor2006) April 27, 2019
Your favorite white boy was drafted second. I like players who were drafted first.
— Facts Do Matter (@WilDonnelly) April 27, 2019
Trump’s refusal to move beyond mirroring the bigotry of his shrinking base bodes well for the Democrats in the 2020 presidential contest. With an approval rating below 40% of the country, his inability to unite the nation will be the biggest obstacle for Trump as he seeks reelection — at least if he’s not removed from office before then.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by Tom Boggioni at RawStory.
